Fruit-picker.



A. AYER.

FRUIT PICKBR.

APPLIOATION FILED NOV. 23, 1912.

Patented June 17, 1913.

Wily moon COLUMBIA PLANDGRAPH C0,, WASHINGTON. u. c.

. heights ALBERTUS W. AYER, 0F LAWRENCE, KANSAS.

FRUIT-PICKER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 17,1913.

Application filed November 23, 1912. Serial No. 733,161.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ALBnR'rUs N. AYER, acitizen of the United States, residing at Lawrence, in the county ofDouglas and State of Kansas, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Fruit-Pickers, of which the following is aspecification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in fruit pickersand has for its object to provide a device of this character which willenable the operator to readily remove fruit from trees of various andallow the removed fruit to be conveyed to a receptacle carried by theoperator.

A further object of the invention resides in providing a device having aframe or the like formed thereon of a single strand of material, thesides thereof converging at their ends to form fruit gripping spacesthereon and a still further object resides in providing knife blades tobe carried by the frame at the detaching spaces thereof.

Still another object of the invention resides in providing a substantialsack and conveyor which is adapted to be removably engaged with theaforesaid frame, and a still further object resides in providing ayielding frame for the sack portion to be readily applied to the firstmentioned frame.

A further object of the invention resides in providing hooks on the sackfor engagement with the detaching frame, one of said hooks being soengaged with the latter frame as to aid in the retaining of one of theknife blades in position thereon.

A still further object of the invention resides in providing a devicewhich is eX- tremely simple and durable in construction, inexpensive tomanufacture and one which will be very efficient and useful inoperation.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in thenovel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts aswill be hereinafter referred to and more particularly pointed out in thespecification and claim.

- In the accompanying drawing forming a part of this application, Figure1 is a perspective view showing my device being applied to use. Fig. 2is a vertical longitudi nal section through the device. Fig. 3 is avertical transverse sect-ion taken through the knife blade. Fig. 4 is anenlarged vertical longitudinal section through the frame showing theengagement of the one hook member on the sack frame and the springtongue of the knife blade therewith; and Fig. 5 is a perspective view ofthe device wit-h the usual catching and conveying mechanism removed.

In describing my invention, I shall refer to the drawing in whichsimilar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughoutthe several views and in which- 1 indicates an elongated handle, to theupper end of which is secured my improved detaching frame composed of asingle strand of wire 2, the ends of which, after forming the frame aresecured in the one end of the handle. This frame, in plan, has the sidesthereof bulged or convexed and the ends of the wire forming the sides ofthis frame converge to form the fruit gripping spaces 3 and 4. The framebeing formed of a single strand of wire, the loop therein, between thetwo sides of the same is formed at the outer end of the device or at thedetaching space 3, and while the sides of this frame are disposed to aplane below the plane of the detaching spaces, the complete frame may besaid to be disposed at an 0btuse angle with respect to the handle 1.

As stated, the portions of the wire forming the sides of the deviceconverge at the ends thereof to provide the detaching spaces 3 and 4 andengaged with the portions of the wire forming these spaces are the knifeblades 5 and 6. These knife blades have the side edges thereof bentaround the wire portions forming the sides of the spaces 3 and 4, but asthe space 3 converges toward its outer end, it will be seen that theknife blade 5 may be readily removed from the frame at this point. Inorder to retain this knife blade 5 on the frame, a bent spring tongue 5is formed on the outer edge thereof and disposed in engagement with theloop atthe outer end of the detaching space 3. This spring tongueretains the knife blade in its proper position upon the frame, butaffords a ready means for removal, as all that is necessary when it isdesired to detach the blade, is to grasp the same by the fingers raisingit upwardly and removing the blade.

From the foregoin description, it will be seen that a prunlng evice hasbeen formed which is readily adapted for use to remove excess fruit fromtrees, when desired. It will be appreciated that in accomplishing thisresult, it is only necessary to raise the device to the pieces of fruitdesired to be removed and allow the stems thereof to be engaged in oneof the detaching spaces 3 and 4. If the stem is engaged in the space 3,a pull may be given the handle 1 and the stem Willbe severed from thebranch of the tree and ifthe stem be disposed in the space 4, an upwardpush may be given the handle 1 and the stem will be severed. I haveprovided a catching and conveying means, however, to be used inconnection with this de vice when it is desired to collect the fruitremoved from the trees. To this end, I rovide asubstantial sack 7 whichhas a yielding wire frame 8 around the upper edges thereof and engagedwith this frame are the hooks 9 which are adapted to be engaged withthesides of the aforesaid detaching frame carried on the end of thehandle 1. An additional hook 10 is provided, at the outer end of theframe 8 which is adapted to be received in the space 3 of the detachingframe to rest in engagement with the loop of the wire forming the same,just beyond the knife blade 5, as clearly shown in the figures, of thedrawings. In view of this arrangement, the spring tong'ue 5 of the knifeblade 5 will rest on the loop of the wire frame 2 between the arms ofthe hook 10, as clearly shown in Figs. 3 and 4 of the drawing and thisspring tongue will obviously aidto retain said hook 10 in engagementwith the frame throug'hout the operation of the device. The sack 7 alsohas formed thereon, the conveying chute or the like l1 which is adaptedto be held by means of the rings or the like 12, to the handle member 1.Thus, frointhis construction, it

will be seen that as the fruit is removed from the branches of thetrees, the same will be dropped into the sack and be conveyed throughthe chute 11 to any desired receptacle carried by the operator.

From the foregoing description of the construction of my improveddevice, the operation thereof will be readily understood and it will beseen that I have provided a device which is simple and durable inconstruction, inexpensive to manufacture and one which will be veryefficient and useful in operation.

While I have particularly described the elements best adapted to performthe functions set forth, it is obvious that various changes in form,proportion and in the minor details of construction may be resorted towithout departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the principlesof the invention.

Having thus described this invention, what I claim is In a fruit picker,the combination with a handle member, a frame carried thereby, saidframe formed from a single strand of wire, a fruit container carried bythe frame, the opposite ends of the frame being converged, of a clipconnecting the converged strand sections at one end of the frame, theedges of said clip embracing said converging strand sections, a knifeblade formed at one end of the clip, and a spring locking tongue formedupon the opposite end of the clip and engaging the frame.

Intestimony whereof I hereunto my signature in the presence of twowitnesses.

ALBERTUS w. AYER. Witnesses O. H. AYER, ANNA LOTHROP.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents Washington, D. C.

